Curriculum Vitae

EDUCATION:

Ph.D. Candidate in Biology (focus: Parasitology) – Othmer Fellow - May 2004 to present - School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska - Lincoln.
Advisor: John Janovy, Jr. of the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.

BS in Biology – Commonwealth College Scholar - May 2003 –University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Honors Independent Study Research: Assisted with a Research Department Study of Congestive Heart Failure in the Emergency Department at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Advisor : W. Brian O’Connor of the Univeristy of Massachusetts, Amherst.

BA in French – Commonwealth College Scholar - May 2003 – University of Massachusetts, Amherst
One year of studies at the Université de Paris VII, Jussieu, Paris, France and six month internship at the La Napoule Art Foundation, (La Napoule, France) translating museum literature for guest education and Art Foundation documents for archives. Translations were both from English to French, and French to English. Work at the Foundation in 2003 included representing the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in order to continue relations for the University’s Summer Art Program at the Art Foundation.

GRANTS, FELLOWSHIPS and AWARDS:

2008: The Award for Best Student Paper, The 39th Annual Meeting of the Rocky Mountain Conference of Parasitologists
2008: The Sigma Xi Student Travel Grant, University of Nebraska Chapter of Sigma Xi ($150)
2008: The Frank Kestner Memorial Fund, School of Biological Sciences Special Funds, University of Nebraska-Lincoln ($1500)
2008: The Frank Kestner Memorial Fund, School of Biological Sciences Special Funds for Travel, University of Nebraska-Lincoln ($500)
2008: The Marc Dresden Student Travel Grant, The American Society of Parasitologists ($350)
2008: The Adrian M. Srb Memorial Fund Award, Cedar Point Biological Station, University of Nebraska- Lincoln ($200)
2007: The Award for Best Student Paper, The 38th Annual Meeting of the Rocky Mountain Conference of Parasitologists ($100)
2007: The Blair Paxton Udale Estate Scholarship, School of Biological Sciences Special Funds, University of Nebraska-Lincoln ($2000)
2007: The Adrian M. Srb Memorial Fund Award, Cedar Point Biological Station, University of Nebraska- Lincoln ($2000)
2007: The Mary Rogick Scholarship, School of Biological Sciences Special Funds for Travel, University of Nebraska-Lincoln ($500)
2004 - 2006: The Othmer Graduate Fellowship, University of Nebraska-Lincoln ($22,500)
2006: The Adrian M. Srb Memorial Fund Award, Cedar Point Biological Station, University of Nebraska- Lincoln ($2,000)
2006: The Blair Paxton Udale Estate Scholarship, School of Biological Sciences Special Funds, University of Nebraska-Lincoln ($1500)
2006: The Walker Fellowship Award, School of Biological Sciences Special Funds for Travel, University of Nebraska-Lincoln ($223)
2005: The Blair Paxton Udale Estate Scholarship, School of Biological Sciences Special Funds, University of Nebraska-Lincoln ($1000)
2005: The Initiative for Ecological & Evolutionary Analysis Award, School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln ($450)
2005: The Othmer Award, School of Biological Sciences Special Funds for Travel, University of Nebraska-Lincoln ($450)
2005: The Marc Dresden Student Travel Grant, The American Society of Parasitologists ($400)

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE:

May 2004 to present: I study the parasite community structure in Nebraska minnows, and the role of habitat variability and host dispersal in the determination of the parasite distribution in nature. Due to variation in host specificity and complexity of life cycles among parasites, it is necessary to study a number of different parasites at locations that vary abiotically and biotically, in order to understand the ways in which habitats affect the ability of parasites to distribute in nature. My doctoral research study focuses on communities of parasites (Ph. Platyhelminthes) and their minnow hosts ( Pimephales promelas, Notropis stramineus, and Semotilus atromaculatus) in three converging streams in the Salt Valley watershed of Lancaster County, Nebraska.

September 2007 to present: I have begun construction of a molecular phylogenetic hypothesis for the North American representatives of the globally distributed fish parasite genus Dactylogyrus (Platyhelminthes; Monogenoidea), in an effort to determine the evolutionary relationships among North American, European and Asian representatives. In addition, my recent molecular work is beginning to provide insight into the processes of parasite speciation and host colonization on local and global scales.

March 2008: I took part as a researcher and teaching assistant in a two week field biology course for high school students in the Peruvian Amazon. I was invited to participate in the course as a result of my involvement with the University of Nebraska’s Cedar Point Biological Station. The trip was organized by a former field parasitology student who is currently a teacher at The Lawrenceville School (New Jersey). As an invited researcher, I led students through fish and invertebrate collection, dissection, and parasite identification exercises.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE:

Invertebrate Zoology (BIOS 381), Lecturer: Fall 2008
University of Nebraska- Lincoln at City Campus

Field Parasitology (BIOS 487/887), Teaching Assistant: Summers 2008, 2007, 2006 & 2005
University of Nebraska- Lincoln at Cedar Point Biological Field Station, Ogallala, Nebraska

Ecology and Evolution (BIOS 207), Teaching Assistant: Summer 2008
University of Nebraska- Lincoln at Cedar Point Biological Field Station, Ogallala, Nebraska

Parasitology (BIOS 385 Lab), Teaching Assistant: Spring 2008
University of Nebraska - Lincoln at City Campus

Peruvian Amazon Expedition, Invited Researcher & Teaching Assistant: March 2008
Lawrence Academy (MA) & Lawrenceville School (NJ), in the Peruvian Amazon, Peru.

Invertebrate Zoology (BIOS 381), Teaching Assistant: Fall 2007, Fall 2006 & Spring 2005
University of Nebraska- Lincoln at City Campus

General Biology (BIOS 101 Lab), Teaching Assistant: Spring 2007 & Fall 2004
University of Nebraska - Lincoln at City Campus

Organismal Biology (BIOS 103 Lab), Teaching Assistant: Spring 2006 & Spring 2005
University of Nebraska - Lincoln at City Campus

ADVISING and PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES:

Biology Graduate Student Association President, University of Nebraska, Lincoln – 2008

Planning Committee: 2009 Midwest Ecology and Evolution Conference – 2008
University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska.

Planning Committee: Campus-wide Workshop for Graduate Teaching Assistants – 2008
University of Nebraska - Lincoln at City Campus. Lincoln, Nebraska

Design and Implementation of a Research and Teaching Web page – www.alaineknipes.com

Mentor of Undergraduate Research: K. Brotan - Summer 2007; Xiao Bi – Fall 2007, Spring 2008
University of Nebraska - Lincoln at City Campus. Lincoln, Nebraska.

Instructional Para-Professional, Amherst-Pelham Regional School District – October 2003- April 2004
Amherst-Pelham Regional Middle School: Special Education Department, Amherst, Massachusetts.
     
Peer Academic Advisor, Freshman Summer Orientation, Summer 2001 & Summer 2002
University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts.

PUBLICATIONS:

Janovy, J. Jr., J. Detwiler, S.Schwank, M.G. Bolek, A. K. Knipes, and G. J. Langford. 2007. New and emended descriptions of gregarines from flour beetles (Tribolium spp. and Palorus subdepressus: Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae). Journal of Parasitology,  93(5): 1155-1170.

Janovy, J. Jr., M. G. Bolek, J. Detwiler, S. Schwank, A. K. Knipes, and G. Langford.  2007.  Gregarina niphandrodes (Eugregarinorida: Septatorina): Oocyst Surface Architecture.  Journal of Parasitology,  93(3): 714-716.

INVITED TALKS :

Parasitology in the Peruvian Amazon: Lessons Learned with American High School Students. The 39th Annual Meeting of the Rocky Mountain Conference of Parasitologists, September 18-20, 2008. Ogallala, Nebraska. Powerpoint presentation or as a PDF .

The Scientific Method and the Vocabulary of Research in the Biological Sciences. The McNair Scholars Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. February 12, 2008.

CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS:

Oral Paper Presentations:

Knipes, A. K. and John Janovy Jr.
Host Specificity and Differential Success of Dactylogyrus spp. (Platyhelminthes, Monogenoidea) in Nebraska Minnows: Local and Global Implications. The 12th Annual Meeting of the New England Association of Parasitologists, October 18, 2008. Tufts University, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, North Grafton, Massachusetts.

Knipes, A. K. and John Janovy Jr.
Host Specificity and Differential Success of Dactylogyrus spp. (Platyhelminthes, Monogenoidea) in Nebraska Minnows: Local and Global Implications. The 39th Annual Meeting of the Rocky Mountain Conference of Parasitologists, September 18-20, 2008. Ogallala, Nebraska. The Datus M. Hammond Award for Best Student Paper; The 39th Annual Meeting of The Rocky Mountain Conference of Parasitologists. Abstract (word doc.) and Powerpoint presentation.

Knipes, A. K.
Parasitology in the Peruvian Amazon: Lessons Learned with American High School Students. The 39th Annual Meeting of the Rocky Mountain Conference of Parasitologists, September 18-20, 2008. Ogallala, Nebraska.

Knipes, A. K. and John Janovy Jr.
Seasonal Occurrence and Population Structure of Dactylogyrus spp. on Nebraska Minnows. Paper. The 83rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Parasitologists, June 27-30, 2008. Arlington, Texas.

Knipes, A. K. and John Janovy Jr.
Seasonal Occurrence and Population Structure of Dactylogyrus spp. on Nebraska Minnows. Paper. The 41th Annual Meeting of the Southwestern Society of Parasitologists, April 16-19, 2008. The University of Oklahoma Biological Station, Lake Texoma, Oklahoma.

Knipes, A. K. and John Janovy Jr.
Consequences of stable small-scale environmental variations in the occurence and distribution of Dactylogyrus spp. (Monogenea; Platyhelminthes) on minnows (Cyprinidae; Leuciscinae). The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Biological Graduate Students Association Symposium, February 8, 2008. University of Nebraska State Museum, Lincoln, Nebraska. ABSTRACT (word doc.).

Knipes, A. K. and John Janovy Jr.
Larval Morphology reveals factors determining the distribution of parasites in nature: The case of Dactylogyrus. The 38th Annual Meeting of the Rocky Mountain Conference of Parasitologists, September 20-22, 2007. Denver, Colorado. The Datus M. Hammond Award for Best Student Paper, The 38th Annual Meeting of the Rocky Mountain Conference of Parasitologists. ABSTRACT (word doc.) and Powerpoint Presentation

Knipes, A. K. and John Janovy Jr.
Factors exerting evolutionary pressures on parasite species in nature: The case of Dactylogyrus - Part Two . Paper. The First North American Meeting of American Society of Parasitologists, Sociedad Mexicana de Parasitologia, and Parasitology Section of the Canadian Society of Zoologists, June 21-25, 2007. Merida, MEXICO.

Knipes, A. K. and John Janovy Jr.
Factors exerting evolutionary pressures on parasite species in nature: The case of Dactylogyrus - Part One. Paper. The 40th Annual Meeting of the Southwestern Society of Parasitologists, April 19-21, 2007. The University of Oklahoma Biological Station, Lake Texoma, Oklahoma.

Knipes, A. K.
Population structure and recruitment of Monogenea and Trematoda in three cyprinid fish species of the Salt Valley Watershed, Lancaster County, Nebraska: Part Two. The 80th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Parasitologists, July 8 – 11, 2005, Mobile, Alabama.
           
Knipes, A. K.
Population structure and recruitment of Monogenea and Trematoda in three cyprinid fish species of the Salt Valley Watershed, Lancaster County, Nebraska: Part One. Paper. The 38th Annual Meeting of the Southwestern Society of Parasitologists, April 21-23, 2005. The University of Oklahoma Biological Station, Lake Texoma, Oklahoma.

Poster Presentations:

Knipes, A. K. and John Janovy Jr.
Population structure and recruitment of Monogenea and Trematoda in three cyprinid fish species of the Salt Valley Watershed, Lancaster County, Nebraska: 2004-2005. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 5th Annual Student-Faculty Retreat. February 12, 2006. Morrill Hall, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Knipes, A. K. and John Janovy Jr.
Population structure and recruitment of Monogenea and Trematoda in three cyprinid fish species of the Salt Valley Watershed, Lancaster County, Nebraska: 2004-2005. Poster. The 7th Annual Workshop for the Initiative in Ecology and Evolutionary Analysis, December 2, 2005. The Cornhusker Hotel, Lincoln Nebraska.

TALKS GIVEN AT PUBLIC SEMINARS:

Predicting speciation patterns in North American Dactylogyrus spp. University of Nebraska- Lincoln, Parasitology Seminar, October 30, 2008.

Parasitology. Guest Lecture University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Cedar Point Biological Field Station, Ecology and Evolution Course, May 2008.

Monogenes and other common parasites of Nebraska Fish. Guest Lecture University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Invertebrate Zoology Lecture, September 26, 2007.

Seasonal Occurrence and Population structure of Dactylogyrus in Nebraska Minnows. University of Nebraska- Lincoln, Parasitology Seminar, February 27 2008.

Problems in Monogene Systematics . University of Nebraska- Lincoln, Parasitology Seminar, October 18, 2007.

Monogenes and other common parasites of Nebraska Fish. Guest Lecture University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Invertebrate Zoology Lecture, September 26, 2007. Powerpoint Presentation

Assessing Factors Exerting Evolutionary Pressures on Parasite Species in Nature: A Case of Dactylogyrus. University of Nebraska- Lincoln, Parasitology Seminar, March 12, 2007.

174 years of Dactylogyrus research: a historical perspective on Dactylogyrus of Cyprinids, with particular reference to the questions being addressed and the conceptual contributions of one and three quarters century of research. University of Nebraska- Lincoln, Parasitology Seminar, November 16, 2006.

Variation in Parasite distribution among three cyprinid fish species in three different stream types. Guest Lecture, University of Nebraska- Lincoln Cedar Point Biological Field Station, Field Parasitology Course, Summer 2006.

Women of Science: The First Two Female Presidents of the American Society of Parasitologists. University of Nebraska- Lincoln, Parasitology Seminar, November 3, 2005.

Population structure and recruitment of Monogenea and Trematoda in three cyprinid fish species of the Salt Valley Watershed, Lancaster County, Nebraska: Part Two. Guest Lecture University of Nebraska- Lincoln, Invertebrate Zoology Lecture, Fall 2005.

Parasite Communities as Integrated Systems. University of Nebraska- Lincoln, Parasitology Seminar, February 2005.

Global Change: The Introduction of Species and the Future of Parasites. University of Nebraska- Lincoln, Parasitology Seminar October 2004.

PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES:

The American Society of Parasitologists (2004- present)
The American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (2005- present)
The Southwestern Association of Parasitologists (2005- present)
The North American Native Fishes Association (2005- present)
The Helminthological Society of Washington (2005- present)
The American Microscopical Society (2006- present)
The Wildlife Disease Association (2006- present)
Rocky Mountain Parasitologists Conference (2007- present)
Sigma Xi (2007- present)
The New England Association of Parasitologists (2008- present)

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Alaine Knipes : PhD Candidate : School of Biological Sciences : University of Nebraska-Lincoln, NE 68588
Phone: (402) 472-2754 email